Apparatus for electro-plating or treating articles



Feb. 2, 1960 J. ROUND;

APPARATUS FOR ELECTRO-PLATING OR TREATING ARTICLES- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1957 l I I .l llllllll l In ventor JOHN BOUND Attorneys J. ROUND Feb. 2, 1960 APPARATUS FOR ELECTED-PLATING OR TREATING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1957 Inventor JG/IA/ BOUND Attorneys This invention relatesto apparatus for electroplating or treating articles contained in a barrel revolving 'in a vat containing electrolyte or a liquid and it "has for its object to facilitate mass production of elec't'ro'plated articles. p

A further object is to provid'emeans for driving the barrel which can" be disconnected or connected by lifting the barrel unit from the vat or lowering the barrel unit into the vat and simplify the charging circuit.

A further object is to enable a number of barrels to rotate at stations in a vat and move along the vat from the charging end to a discharging end, in an improved manner.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed according to this invention, and

Figure 2 is a section on line II-II of Figure 1.

According to a convenient embodiment of this invention, an electro-platin perforated barrel 1 and means for rotating the barrel form a self-contained barrel unit A which comprises a head frame 2 in which a shaft 3 is rotatably mounted, the shaft 3 having sprocket wheels 4 and pulleys 5 mounted thereon and belts 6 engage pulleys 7 fixed on the sides of the barrels 1 and the pulleys 5. The belts 6 are conveniently made of rubber and the pulleys 5 and 7 are conveniently made of plastics material. The head frame 2 is formed of copper or electric conducting material and has depending arms 2a which carry electrodes 8 which pass through openings 9 in the centre of the sides of the barrel 1. The elec trodes 8 may be pig-tail electrodes comprising a conducting cable enclosed in insulating material except for the tips 8d. The head frame is covered with a layer of insulating material such as a plastics material. The barrel 1 is thus supported from the head frame only through the medium of the belts 6, the holes 9 allowing freedom of movement of the barrel 1 in relation to the head frame 2. The electro-plating vat 10 has ledges 11 extending longitudinally along each side from end to end and copper bus bars 12 electrically connected to the electrodes are mounted thereon to form runways for the upper runs of endless roller chains 13 which pass over chain sprocket wheels 14 mounted in hearings on each end of the vat 10. The bus bars 12 are electrically insulated from the vat 10. The two sprocket wheels 14 at each end of the vat are mounted on a transverse shaft 15. A shaft 15 is driven by an electric motor and therefore such motor is at the side of the vat 10 and does not lie over the vat and the destructive fumes which arise therefrom. The sprocket wheels 4 of the barrel unit A are adapted to be lowered into engagement with the upper runs of the endless chains 13, so that the endless chains can carry the said barrel unit longitudinally along the vat, without rotating the barrel 1. The chain 13 runs between two guide strips 13a on each side of the bus bar 12. When, however, the barrel unit is held against longitudinal movement, the moving chains will rotate the sprocket wheels 4 and rotate the barrel 1. The bus bars 12 are electrically ,connected to the electrodes 8 :IhIOugh itedStates PM Patented Feb. '2, 1960,

the chains 13, sprocket wheels 4, shaft 3 and head frame 2 which are 'all formed of electric conducting material and this electrical contact is maintained whilst the sprocket wheels 4 are in engagement with the chains 13. Thus a barrel unit A is free to be lifted from the vat and can be lowered into electric and mechanical operative position, merely by lowering the sprocket wheels 4 into engagement with the chains 13. An anode carrying tray 10a is mounted in the vat. The chains are driven conveniently by an electric motor at any predetermined speed and when the sprockets 4 are in engagement with the chains 13, the barrel unit will move along thevat 10 without the barrel 1 being-rotated, but when'the barrel unit A moves against a' stop, the sprockets4'will be rotated by the moving chain 13 and rotate the barrel 1.

A number of barrel units can be arranged in a vat' 10 to successively pass step by step fro-m the feed end of the vat 10 to the discharge end. For this purpose stops are provided to retain the barrel units A in predetermined positions where the barrels are rotated, the stops being releasable to allow the barrel units A to travel along-the vat. In oneform,"a stop 16 comprises a member mounted to rotate on a pivot 17 and having four arms 16a against one of which an arm 18 of a solenoid 19 lies to prevent rotation, whilst another arm 16a forms a stop against which the end of the spindle 3 moves. When the sole noid 19 is energised, the arm 18 is withdrawn which allows the barrel unit to be carried forward to another stop by the moving chain 13. The solenoids 19 can be manually or automatically switched on at timed intervals which controls the time a barrel unit A stops at each station and time of the electro-plating process.

The barrel units A can be lowered on to the chain 13 manually at the feed end of the vat and lifted out manually at the discharge end of the vat after the electroplating process. The barrel units A can be automatically fed into the vat and automatically removed therefrom, and in the form illustrated, an automatic feed or discharge device comprises two endless chains 20 each running over four sprocket wheels 21 mounted on a frame 22 and the top pair of sprocket wheels 21 are driven from the shaft 23 by means of an electric motor and belt transmission 23a. Pivotally mounted on links of the chains 29 are U-shaped cradles 24 which are engaged by the ends of the shaft 3, so that one vertical run 20a can pick up a barrel unit A whilst the other straight run 20a deposits the barrel unit A on the chain 13. The speed of the chain 20 is such that a barrel unit is deposited at the station B, each time a barrel unit A has moved from the station B to the station C (Figure 1). A conveyor chain similar to 20 is arranged at the discharge end of the vat, so that a straight run 20a picks up a barrel unit A from the discharge end of the vat and deposits same from the other straight run 20a. The automatic discharge device is exactly the same as the feed device.

In a simple form of the invention, one barrel unit A is accommodated in a vat 10 and is not moved longitudinally in the vat, the chain 13 only effecting the rotation of a barrel 1. A feature of the invention'is that a shaft 15 on which are mounted sprockets 14 driving the chain 13 is driven by an electric motor and therefore the electric motor does not form part of the barrel unit A and is located clear of any fumes rising from the vat 10.

The device can also be used for treating articles in the barrel 1 in any liquid contained in a vat 10.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. Apparatus for electro-plating or treating articles in which the articles to be treated are contained in a rotating barrel immersed in a liquid contained in a vat, comprising a barrel self-contained unit formed of a frame, a

- shaft mounted on the frame, a barrel suspended from the shaft, means for rotating the barrel from the shaft comprising belt pulleys on the shaft and the barrel, drive belts engaging the pulleys for rotating the barrel and suspending the barrel from the shaft, and chain sprocket Wheels on the shaft, and an independent chain drive for driving said sprocket Wheels and the shaft comprising an endless chain mounted on each side of the vat, ledges on the vat on which the upper runs of the chains are supported so that the sprocket wheels on the shaft of said barrel self contained unit are supported by the chains whereby the chains can carry said unit along the vat and whereby when the unit is held against longitudinal movement the chains rotate the barrel, and stops preventing the barrel self contained unit from traveling longitudinally of the vat, so that the chains rotate said shaft and the barrel, and means for releasing the stops so that the chains are free to carry the barrel unitary structure longitudinally along the vat.

2. Apparatus for electro-plating or treating articles in which the articles to be treated are contained in a rotating barrel immersed in a liquid contained in a vat, comprising a barrel self-contained unit formed of a frame, a shaft mounted on the frame, sprocket wheels on the shaft, all formed of electric conducting material, a barrel suspended from said shaft, means for rotating the barrel from the shaft comprising belt pulleys on the shaft and the barrel, drive belts engaging the pulleys for rotating the barrel and supporting the barrel from the shaft and sprocket wheels on the shaft, and electric conducting bus bars mounted on said ledges'and insulated from the sides of the vat on which said upper run of the chain slides, electrodes mounted on said frame and projecting inside the barrel and said frame of the barrel unit, said shaft mounted thereon and said sprocket wheels and chains engaging thereon forming electric conductors electrically connecting the bus bars to the electrodes so that said electrodes are in the charging electric circuit through the bus bars, driving chain, sprocket wheels and frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Banks Nov. 14, 1950 

1. APPARATUS FOR ELECTRO-PLATING OR TREATING ARTICLES IN WHICH THE ARTICLES TO BE TREATED ARE CONTAINED IN A ROTATING BARREL IMMERSED IN A LIQUID CONTAINED IN A VAT, COMPRISING A BARREL SELF-CONTAINED UNIT FORMED OF A FRAME, A SHAFT MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, A BARREL SUSPENDED FROM THE SHAFT, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE BARREL FROM THE SHAFT COMPRISING BELT PULLEYS ON THE SHAFT AND THE BARREL, DRIVE BELTS ENGAGING THE PULLEYS FOR ROTATING THE BARREL AND SUSPENDING THE BARREL FROM THE SHAFT, AND CHAIN SPROCKET WHEELS ON THE SHAFT, AND AN INDEPENDENT CHAIN DRIVE FOR DRIVING SAID SPROCKET WHEELS AND THE SHAFT COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CHAIN MOUNTED ON EACH SIDE OF THE VAT, LEDGES ON THE VAT ON WHICH THE UPPER RUNS OF THE CHAINS ARE SUPPORTED SO THAT THE SPROCKET WHEELS ON THE SHAFT OF SAID BARREL SELF CONTAINED UNIT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE CHAINS WHEREBY THE CHAINS CAN CARRY SAID UNIT ALONG THE VAT AND WHEREBY WHEN THE UNIT IS HELD AGAINST LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THE CHAINS ROTATE THE BARREL, AND STOPS PREVENTING THE BARREL SELF CONTAINED UNIT FROM TRAVELLING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE 